Add a little bit of French charm to your home and create a beautiful vintage enamel milk jug with distressed and waterproofed French labels

You can never have too much French decor in your home, if you ask me :)
With that in mind, let me tell you that today’s DIY is so easy you won’t even believe it. You will only need a few things to make some amazing French labels, all distressed and waterproofed, ready to be placed on a vintage enamel milk jug or on just about everything else! :)

– French labels printed on textured or regular cardboard sheet (see the end of this post for downloading updates)

– a stencil sponge (or any other sponge that you have laying around)

– dark acrylic paint (I’ve used dark metallic paint)

– a brush
– Mod Podge

– scissors

And of course the recipient you want to decorate. The one I used is really old and chippy just the way I like it and has a great sentimental value because it was a ”legacy” from my grandmother. I just love it!

For phase one, making and distressing the cardboard labels, use your scissors to cut all the labels. Use the borders I’ve made for guidance, do not leave them on the labels.

Gently dip the sponge into the acrylic paint and dab it for a few times on some paper, to remove the excess, before applying it to the labels.

Start by dabbing your sponge on all the margins of your first label, insisting on the corners.

Now gently dab on all the surface of the label without applying too much pressure. There isn’t an universal pattern, just follow your instinct and don’t stop until fully satisfied! :)

Do the same for all the labels and let them sit for a while, until completely dry.

Aren’t these just ”tres chic”? :)

[ctt title=”Learn how to distress French labels or tags with metallic paint

Now look for a minute around your room, can you spot at least 3 things that would look nice with these French beauties? I know I have a few (more) things in mind! :)

Well enough with spotting new things to decorate, let’s go back to the sealing and waterproofing part, now it’s time to put the Mod Podge to work!

Apply a generous amount of Mod Podge on your label and brush it back and forward until your label is completely covered with a uniform layer.

Even though the labels will look a little bit translucent when applying the Mod Podge, don’t worry. After drying, the uniform layer will turn into a beautiful clear plastified film, all waterproofed and sealed and even ready to use outside on different decorations.

Put your labels to dry on some tall recipients and let them dry completely. Do not leave them directly on the table, Mod Podge is a strong adhesive after all and there’s a high risk of adhering to your working table in no time.

[ctt title=”Learn how to easily waterproof French labels or tags” tweet=”Learn how to easily waterproof French labels or tags” – via @didreamsfactory http://ctt.ec/4idae+” coverup=”4idae”]

After the labels are dry, use some more Mod Podge and a brush, this time to apply some Mod Podge on the back of the labels and glue them to your milk jug.

Use some paper towel to remove any excess Mod Podge, after completely dried, the Mod Podge won’t come off.

And you’re done! Your very own enamel milk jug with French touches! :)

[ctt title=”How to easily transform a milk jug or any vase into a Frenchified beauty” tweet=”Easily transform a milk jug or any vase into a Frenchified beauty” – via @didreamsfactory http://ctt.ec/QEVL6+” coverup=”QEVL6″]

All you need now are some delicate flowers, thank God spring is just around the corner! :)

I hope you like my Vintage enamel milk jug with french labels project and decide to give it a try! :) You can grab all the materials you need and start working on it or you can pin it for later. Either way, would love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to leave a comment below.

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UPDATE:

I’m starting a new and exciting collaboration with Karen / The Graphics Fairy and I’m gradually making some of my collages and printables available for FREE download on her website.

Reader Interactions

Lovely comments so far

These are so pretty! Total coincidence, I was searching The Graphics Fairy yesterday and came across a link to your website and was showing my mom how you do your labels. We both thought they were so pretty. And now today I was checking out some of the links on our Your Turn To Shine link party and there you were linked up with us! Love your projects and so glad you stopped by our party. Looking forward to seeing more from you!

Amy, thank you for your lovely comment, I'm so glad you and your mom like my French labels. They are so easy to make and you can sure find one or two things to use them on :) I don't believe in coincidence, everything happens for a reason, so I will sure come back to your lovely link parties :)

Diana, this is the most beautiful project, thankyou! It’s a must try, and I’ve pinned it. Would you consider coming over to my linkup at A Tray of Bliss, to share at Five Star Frou-Frou tomorrow? I’m with you. You can never have enough French influence in the home! Love, Mimi xxx

This is so lovely and just the thing for my craft room decor. I’m in the process of updating the space and something like this will go great with the shabby chic look. Love the labels and the technique. Your how to was spot on, the directions easy to follow.

I’m glad you like it, Maria!
Mod Podge is an adhesive used mostly in crafting, that can also be used as a sealer, medium transfer and many other things.
You can Google it or search for it on Pinterest, you will find many creative ideas!

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Hello, welcome to Dreams Factory!
This is my happy creative place where I share my love for handmade, DIY Projects with Shabby touches, Frenchified home decor items and ideas on how to use them all over your home, graphics, homemade delicious recipes and many more.
I hope you'll find my blog inspiring and you'll join me in creating soulful beautiful things, one DIY project and recipe at a time! ~ XO, Diana

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